Making a Sandcastle

Here is a cute idea for your beach-themed event–a sandcastle!

At our recent beach-themed event, we decorated with sandcastles and shells.  They came out so very cute and realistic looking!  The base of the larger sand castle is a bucket that children use in their sandbox.  They are often made of brightly-colored plastic, and very low cost.  Because of the bright colors, begin by painting with a primer.  This will keep the bright color of the bucket from showing through. The smaller “towers” of the sandcastles are made of clay pots and inexpensive planters.  These don’t need to be primed.

Use a spray adhesive made for plastic (such as 3M Super 77 Adhesive, found at stores like Home Depot).  After you spray a portion of the bucket, roll in play sand, making sure to apply pressure as you push it into the sand pile.  Spray another section and repeat until the bucket is covered.  For a thicker finish, repeat the process after the bucket dries completely.

These will need to be handled with care, from set-up to removal.  You don’t want the sand to come off, exposing the bucket and making a mess.

Make several and place on a small pile of sand.  Decorate with shells.